Adjustable display hook



United States Patent [72] Inventor JohnJ.Tanzer 2605 St. Charles Court, Brookfield, Wis. 53005 [21] AppLNo. 690,175 [22] Filed Dec. 13,1967 [45] Patented Dec.l5, 1970 [54] ADJUSTABLE DISPLAY BOOK 1 Claim, 8 Drawing Figs.

{52] U.S.Cl 248/360, 211/59, 211/181, 248/303, 248/340 [51] lnt.Cl A471 5/01 [50] Field ol'Seareh 248/340, 359, 360; 21 1/59; 24/73CMF, 73C; 248/302, 303, P.B.,339,340,42;211/181 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,215,476 211917 Brouillet 248/224X 1,390,389 9/1921 Rosenfeld 248/226 Black Muniente Lersch Schumacher. Banse Pitcher.. Jepsen... Cerny.... Hoke Janer Nervig FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Primary Examiner-Chance1lor E. Harris 248/302X 248/340 248/303X 21 1/ 181X 248/340X 248/302X 248/ 3 16X 248/340X 24/73X 24/73 PATENTED um 519m 3'; 547'. 392

F'IQS' FiQ r m/mvme John 0.13030 ADJUSTABLE DISPLAY BOOK The present invention relates to a novel spring-hinged, adjustable, clip device adaptable to be inserted within the peripheral cavity of conventional paperboard display tubes. Present display devices comprise a vertical pole member with means of attaching additional poles thereto, a pair of wire foot members known in the trade as crows feet which are inserted into the bottom peripheral cavity for vertical support of said device. Attached to said vertical pole is at least one piece of point of sale material, said material bearing indica thereon. These pole structures have not proven to be entirely satisfactory, particularly the crows feet which cause a curtailment of the floor space for placing or stacking of merchandise around the pole because of the footed members which lie above the plane of the floor level. Consequently, merchandise is stacked outside the limits of the footed structures and results in the loss of valuable floor selling area. Occasionally when the merchandise is placed or stacked within and between the footed members and in limited quarters the footed members will protrude, or when the placed or stacked merchandise is selling rapidly, a footed member could be exposed completely and thereby create a hazardous condition.

Other pole structures that span from floor to ceiling are cost prohibitive. Spring inserts between pole members are needed to span such heights.

Accordingly, it is the object of this invention to improve the art wherein an economical adjustable display hook would support display pole devices from the ceiling, lighting fixtures, ventilation outlets, ceiling grid structures or any device which would allow attachment of said adjustable display hook. Further, the present invention will allow a floor area free and clear of any interfering members and allow placing or stacking merchandise to be displayed on a level plane and in close association with the suspended pole.

The use of the present invention will greatly lower costs of supporting said displays. The crows feet now in use approxi mate 28** per pair. In addition to overcoming the difficulties heretofore mentioned. said adjustable display hook will support weighty point of sale materials, allow for omnidirectional visibility, and will associate itself in a positive fashion with either a flat ceiling or overhead ceiling grid structure.

Better use of materials and other factors will become apparent when taken into consideration with the accompanying drawings and specifications.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the present invention. It also depicts phantom side views of the spring-hinged lower member;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view of the hinge portion of the adjustable display hook of FIG. 1 and is an alternate method of hinging the members;

FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the present invention in which a symmetrical lower portion is substituted for the top portion of the adjustable display hook of FIG. 1 and is used for the support of paperboard tubes from open ended standards used in display stands;

FIG. 4 is another embodiment of the present invention in which the top portion is eliminated and the upper tip of the lower portion is threaded to permit attachment into a block adhesively attached to the ceiling;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment wherein the top portion is adapted for attachmentto ceiling grid structures;

FIG. 6 is another embodiment in which the hinged lower portion has a coil to permit attachment to a wire basket or wire structure;

FIG. 7 is another embodiment characterized by the absence of a lower hinged portion to allow insertion into display device moldings as shown; and

FIG. 8 is a side view of yet another embodiment of the present invention in which the top portion is adapted for insertion into perforated boards and the lower portion member is extended and folded back to form a double hook in which paperboard tubes may be attached in a standing and hanging manner.

In reference to FIG. I, the basic components of the present invention are shown and numbered as follows: 1 is the entire adjustable display hook, 2 is a curved top portion serving as a means of suspension from fluorescent lighting fixtures, 3 is the body of the adjustable display hook 1, 4 is the spring-hinged member with its securing tip 5, spring-hinged member 4 is attached to the body 3 by means of spring hinge 6. When the adjustable display hook I is inserted into a small diameter tube spring-hinged member 4 is bent into the position shown at A, correspondingly, a larger diameter tube will compress springhinged member 4 only to position B as shown in phantom. Likewise, a still larger diameter tube will compress member 4 to position C. In any of the positions previously described, the weight of the display tube and any attached point of sale material will cause the edge 5 of member 4 to penetrate into the inner periphery of said tube.

FIG. 2 is an alternate method of hinging member 4 to body 3 of the display hook I and consists of a coil 7, which is similar to the hinge coil of a safety pin. Hinge coil 7 may be used as a substitute for hinge 6 in the basic hook I as shown in FIG. 1 or any of the embodiments as shown in FIGS. 3 to 8 inclusive.

FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the basic hook I in which the top portion is symmetrical to the lower portion as indicated by the FIGS. 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A. This embodiment is suitable for the insertion of the present invention into display standard posts as shown by sides 15 and 16 with the display tube being installed on the top portion of the adjustable display hook 1.

FIG. 4 is an embodiment of the present invention in which the upper portion of the body 3 is threaded for attachment to a block-l7 by means of threads 9. Said block 17 being attached by adhesive 18 to ceiling, wall, floor or any suitable surface 19.

FIG. 5 shows a variation of the top portionwhich is formed into a straight member 10 with another member 11 bent so as to be perpendicular to member 10. This allows easy attachment to ceiling gridwork fixtures.

FIG. 6 shows a lower hinge similar to the alternate hinge 7 of FIG. 2 in which the coil terminates at point 8. This method allows for attachment of the adjustable display hook 1 to wire baskets or any other wire device by means of hinge coil 7.

FIG. 7 shows a straight body 3A to allow insertion into previously drilled holes in display case molding 20.

FIG. 8 is an embodiment of the one-piece display support with which the present invention is concerned. Specifically, this variation includes a supporting base portion wherein an adjustable display hook I can be mounted into a perforated board device or the like by means of the bends 12, 13 and the support 14, the supporting base portion 1 includes a foot portion 3 which is angularly offset from the tube supporting section 4. The tube supporting section 4 is hingedly connected across a deformable hinge section 6 to the supporting base portion. A tube attachment portion is integrally joined to the tube supporting section'4 for supporting a hollow tube in a position laterally spaced from the supporting surface upon which the supporting base portion is mounted. The tube attachment portion includes a U-shaped, reversely bent section at the end of the tube attachment portion 4 which is remote from the supporting base portion and includes a hinge 6a, member 4a, which together with the tube supporting section 4 forms the U-shaped section, and a tip portion 5a.

Iclaim:

1. A one-piece display supportformed from a deformable wire element comprising a tube attachment portion and a supporting base portion, said tube attachment portion including a U-shaped, reversely bent section at one end of said wire element which is adapted to be mounted in a hollow tube for supporting the same relative to the display support, said tube attachment portion being integrally joined to a generally laterally directed tube-supporting section for supporting the hollow tube in a position laterally spaced from a supporting surface, said tube supporting section being hingedly connected across a deformable hinge section at the end of said display support which is remote from the tube attachment portion of the display support, the supporting base portion including a foot which is angularly offset from the tube supporting 

